Radley Finds Power, Healing in Writing
- Katie Keyser
- Jun 24
- 4 min read
By Katie Keyser,
Contributing Writer
Theresa E Radley makes writing a priority:
“I get up between four and five in the morning. I give myself an hour to an hour
and a half of ‘TER Time.’ I write. I work on my website. I do outreach.”
The Cortland woman, 41, a single mom with three kids, is an adult education coordinator at
CAPCO. But she is also an author and empowerment workshop organizer.
The self-published writer will appear in the Author tent at Arts Off Main, selling her books at the August 1st music and art festival on Court Street in Cortland.
Radley has three collections of poems available:
Her Story: Lessons Learned from an Emotionally Abusive Relationship; This is Me, commemorating Radley’s 40th birthday with poetry; andTelling the Truth. Her latest poetry
book in progress is titled, Shades of Love.
Her books are available at All My Friends bookstore on Main Street, Cortland; Protagonist
Books and Coffee in Dryden; and in the Cortland and Homer libraries. They can be
purchased on Amazon and at the Arts Off Main Festival on Court Street this August 1st.
“Writing has saved my life. I suffered a lot from depression and anxiety,” she said in an interview at BRU64 in Cortland in May. Poetry and fiction helped her process her feelings.
When she was married, her former husband told her: “This writing is merely a hobby. You will
not publish successfully.”
“I stopped writing. I lost myself. And then when I left him, I started writing again. I wrote Her Story. The poetry features a woman who breaks the silence on emotional abuse.
Radley has written two novels, the latest, Lunch Break, in 2025. It features four women forging relationships at work.
Carrie Sipe of Homer, an administration coordinator in a dorm at Cornell University, got
to know Radley at book clubs and community writing events. She has read Lunch Break and
said, “It’s a really good book.” Sipe noted she enjoyed Radley’s character development and
how the characters interact. “Her circle of friends are like my circle of friends,” she said.
“Young adults, working professionals, and people who are building relationships will
enjoy this book", she said. “It’s realistic. It also feels good. I like books that make me
feel good.”
Sipe has known Radley for the last year and a half. “She’s engaged in the community. She has such great energy,” said Sipe.
Radley offers Her Story empowerment workshops where women share their experiences
in five- or ten-minute sessions on topics of their choice. She has had two, one at the YWCA and another at Parkside Villa, both in Cortland. “The first time, we had seven performers and 20 in attendance. The second time, we had 12 performers and 50 in attendance. Her Story is growing. People are asking me, “when is the next one.” The goal of the workshop is for women to share their stories. And for women to connect with other women.”
Radley also does workshops on the power of storytelling and speaks on healing through writing. She is planning on offering another workshop in October.
Sipe, who calls herself a “writing enthusiast,” was a speaker at Radley’s first Her Story
workshop.
“It was fantastic. I wanted to get out of my comfort zone, do something on my bucket list,
like sharing something I wrote,” Sipe continued. “The audience was welcoming. The space was safe. Many people who spoke were sharing personal things. Mine was a personal reflection,” Sipe added.
People can follow her on Facebook and Instagram at @Theresa E Radley Author or at
www.theresaeradleyauthor.com to find out more.
Radley keeps it simple when writing poetry. “I have a blank page online or a piece of paper, and I write what’s in my heart,” she said.
“Poetry I can write anywhere. I have a notes section on my phone.”
Her fiction writing process has evolved. In her first novel, Speechless, she opened up a blank page on her computer and started writing.
For Lunch Break, Radley made character profiles for her four female characters, created
an outline, and then forged ahead.
“I was locked in. It’s so hard when you are in that world. You miss things. I know that
grammar is not my strong suit.”
She noticed in her first edition of Lunch Break, there were a lot of grammatical errors. She made a second edition and had a friend edit it.
“Lesson learned,” she said. Now, when Radley writes, she leaves it alone for a time. Then she goes back and edits the pages. And she uses a
proofreader to go over her drafts.
Her biggest challenge in writing a book is not writing it. It is getting it out there—marketing it
and finding an audience.
For aspiring writers, Radley’s advice is to “Write. Just write. Don’t worry about
organization. Open up a document. Just write.”
Meet the Authors at Arts off Main
Nancy Dafoe
Deonie Finkbeiner
Susan Grimm
Theresa E Radley
Ellen Rahner
Martin Sweeney
Matt Tripicco
Charlie Yaple
Arts off Main
August 1, 2026
10am to 4pm
Court Street, Cortland NY
Art Vendors, Live Music, Art Workshops, Poetry Workshops, Puppet Show, Chalk Art
Sponsored by Cortland Arts Connect
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